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Friday, June 3, 2016

The Purest Hook by Scarlett Cole

Can a love built on secrets survive?

Rugged, hot, and rock hard, Dred Zander is exactly the type of man that
normally sends Pixie running. Not dreaming about running her hands down his
washboard abs...and lower. The lead singer and guitarist for the band Preload
embodies trouble behind his quick smile and guarded eyes, and Pixie left
trouble behind her years ago along with the name Sarah Jane Travers and the
pathetic trailer her mom called home. With her abusive past in her past, she
has a new life, a new family at Second Circle, and a dream of opening her own
business. She needs capital and time. What she doesn't need is a tempting
long-haired rocker or the paparazzi that follow him around.

But Dred has other ideas. Pixie's sweet hazel eyes, purple hair and
kaleidoscopic tattoo of exotic flowers that swirl up her arm haunt his dreams,
and he knows she wants him too. He just has to convince her. But as a juicy
exposé threatens to expose their pasts, and a blackmailer terrorizes their
present, Pixie and Dred have to decide what really matters and fight like hell
to keep it.

Kris – ☆☆☆☆
This is book number three in the series and I had not read the first two, but
it held its own as a standalone.

Dred and the boys from Preload head into Second Circle tattoo shop for some
more ink. Dred has been asking Pixie, the office manager at Second Circle, out
on a date forever and she's always turning him down. Pixie feeling finally,
maybe, able to live her life without her past coming to haunt her, finally says
yes to Dred while backstage at the Preload show. Somehow a picture of the two
smooching ends up in the rag mags and brings an old nemesis of Pixie's out of
the woodwork. All the guys in Preload have a tainted past, having all grown up
together in a group home, they have their share of baggage. Pixie has hers too,
and people are looking to exploit them all to the fullest and highest monetary
gain. There's great chemistry between Pix & Dred, he's rough & sexy but
knows Pixie has had an abusive past and knows she has triggers. There was a
nice mix of sweet but raw emotions on both parts. The boys in Preload are quite
interesting side characters too and I'm certainly wanting to know where their
story might take us. I'm heading back now to read books one and two since they
are hinted at in book three, but now I need Cujo & Trent's stories. Highly
entertaining.

This is one of those reads that will stick with you after you’ve finished it. I
loved it! It’s the first in the series I’ve read and can be read as a standalone.

Pixie has had a terrible upbringing, and when she was finally able to get away,
she was lucky enough to find Trent and Cujo, the owners of Second Circle Tattoo
shop, who helped her get clean and turn her life around. For years, Pixie has
lived a quiet life as the receptionist at the tattoo shop, and though she feels
the attraction, she’s avoided the advances by super sexy rock-star Dred. Dred
knows he doesn’t deserve someone as sweet and innocent as Pixie, but he finds
himself wishing for more with her. It takes him getting extremely sick and
having Pixie nurse him back to help to talk her into a date, but once this
happens the sparks really fly and their relationship grows quickly. Until both
Dred and Pixie’s past comes back to haunt them in the form of a baby for one
and an evil step-father for the other.

I loved that this was a long-distance relationship book, I don’t think I’ve
ever read one quite like it. I love that the author is able to write Pixie and
Dred’s connection so well that I found myself cheering them on from page one.
This is a great read, it has a strong plotline and characters, I can’t wait to
read more from this series!

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is a very enjoyable read, which adds to the previous two books, and gives Pixie her chance to tell her story and find her happily ever after. That it turns out to be with Dred, the playboy rocker who acts as a judge on Inked, is not entirely a surprise. However, the journey that they take to get there is definitely not an easy one. Really, only faith in Ms. Cole to ensure that things will turn out okay makes that seem likely at times!

Pixie has not shared with anyone around her just how bad her past was, and that would probably still be the case if it weren't for the blackmail. I did feel that she was unwisely bold at being on her own at times, and maybe talking to the people who had brought her back to life might be a good plan...but it would no doubt have changed the plot. It was sometimes necessary to take a deep breath as she embarked on another day without support. The growth in her as a character though worked well, and that it included redemption and potential for a bright future was a bonus. Dred was her perfect foil and he too gets the chance to make a difference to his own life, as well as to that of others – is it an easy route that he takes? Undoubtedly not, but fascinating for the reader nonetheless!

These two manage to be cute in the face of their pasts, and hot in the face of her history – the rules are a clever and effective way of dealing with the new relationship and how they feel about each other. And as we now know the band members better, hopefully they too will have their stories told and we will get to visit old friends again.

Hot, angsty, sweet and redemptive – this book packs a full punch.

Born in England, SCARLETT COLE traveled the world for business and pleasure,
living in the United States before settling in Canada where she met her own
personal hero. Now a proud Canadian and British citizen, home is wherever her
husband and two children are. When she isn’t writing, Scarlett can be found
working out to offset a legendary candy habit, searching for the perfect pair
of shoes, and promising her family that she will get around to cooking dinner
in a minute.

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